Archive for April 14th, 2015

A few years ago I allowed life to kick me around like trash on the side of the road. As Katy Perry would say, like a plastic bag drifting through the wind, I was tossed about like the other debris not heavy enough to stand its ground and choose where it wanted to go.

I had no concept of the value of time as the only timelines that were important were school, weekends, allowed vacation time, and back to the slaughter. Just like the others who were thrown into conformity, we were blown whichever way the wind blew never really questioning if we would be able to go anywhere else.

It wasn’t until I was separated from the wind, away from the other flock that my presence finally became still as I settled to the ground. As I watched the other plastic bags being pushed through the current, getting degrees, getting full time jobs, having babies, getting married – I wondered if I would ever be able to join the wind current again.

For years I laid on the ground and examined the others like fish at an aquarium. I wanted to jump back into the flow as I saw the life of others and began to become enraged at my stagnation.

Suddenly, I was met by a figure on the side of the road that came walking toward me. The figure turned its head to the side and wondered why I had not used my legs to get up and walk. It sat down next to me and began talking about the places it had been. Places that no wind current could have possibly taken it and went on about how beautiful the world is. I had asked the figure how it was able to do all these things and it told me that it was by simply realizing that it could.

It asked “Where do you want to go?”. I never thought about it before… the option never seemed possible. As I lie there, I began to think about my ideal journey and what it would look like. After visualizing such a beautiful expedition, I felt so compelled to experience it that I looked down, realized I had legs, got up, and began walking.

Just like a dream, you only begin to take control of it the moment you realize you are dreaming. The current may not stop for you, but you don’t have to stop at the current. You can step out anytime you’d like and choose your own path.

I was watching The Great Gatsby last night and a few things got me thinking. Aside from the fact that in the end, he indeed desperately tried to change the past which inevitably lead to his demise (spoiler alert), what I personally love about this story is how he refused to accept where he came from as his reality. He ran away from his poverty, changed his name, met a man who’s life he wanted to adopt as his own, and never forgot it.

I too many times hear the ongoing excuses of the masses who claim one man was lucky or that another was born into wealth.

According to the book The Millionaire Next Door, only 20% of millionaires inherited their wealth. The other 80% earned their cash on their own.

The first rich man was once poor.

Every minute you have an opportunity to become a new person. Your identity is merely a collection of characteristics that have been assembled by your past actions. But what if you were to redefine who you are by what you decide to do – TODAY?

If you want to decide today that you’re Miss Sass USA, a woman who knows what she’s about, where she’s going, and doesn’t take no for an answer, you can be that gal!

If you want to be that person who demands the attention of everyone the moment you walk into a room, be that person.

Make your own story, be the creator of your own adventure. The very moment you’ve opened your eyes till the moment you close them are full of blank pages waiting to be written by you. You may not be able to pick where you started off in this story, but you’re the only one who decides how you finish, so finish STRONG.

While we’re on the topic, you might enjoy following one of my favorite accounts @gatsbyisms – he can speak more about this mindset way better than I can!